Coconut Conditioner and Coltrane
by Radar-rox
Summary: Just a little oneshot, Howard on an evening thinking about Vince. Howince, had you not guessed. Independant of my Tara series.


**Hello Darlings. Just a little something something that I did last night, hope you enjoy. Thanks to Helen as always for betaing, the Boosh obviously belong to Noel and Julian. Hope you enjoy.**

Howard stirred. Still not fully awake, all he could be sure of was that he was warm. And could smell coconut.

Oh no! He wasn't still on that tiny island with Vince, surely, they'd- no, wait, he was on a sofa, they didn't have a sofa on the island, not even Vince in his Coconut Lodge.

Opening his eyes finally, Howard peered blearily around the living room. The television was still on quietly, half-eaten packets of crisps, sweets and chocolate littered the table, and Vince was asleep on him. Oh. That'd explain the coconut then, that stupid overpriced conditioner he insisted on using.

Howard closed his eyes and rested his head against Vince's again, happy to just lie there snoozing with him for a while. Vince's head was a comforting weight against his shoulder, his body radiating warmth, the sound of his breathing a comforting familiarity against the harsh chatter of the television.

Half an hour later he woke again. Vince had moved a little to rest his hand on Howard's chest, grasping the fabric of his shirt and snuggled into him even more. Howard smiled, tightening his arm around him for a moment then let go, carefully edging away and off the sofa to tidy up.

It was cold away from Vince. He pottered about, pouring away half-drunk cups of tea, sealing up and putting away the food, switching off the TV.. oh that was right, that's why they'd fallen asleep like that, they'd stayed up to watch the Hundred Greatest Front-Men countdown on E4. Or rather, Vince had wanted to watch it, Howard had just wanted to be with him, he'd made up an excuse of wanting to see if Nelson 'The Larynx' McGee was featured anywhere.

Right, that was everything put away and switched off, all that was left was to wake up Vince. Which is what he was going to do now. Yep, right now. Waking him up now. Not just stood staring at him and watching him sleep. Nosir. It wasn't in a creepy way, or at least he didn't think so, Vince just looked so… nice. He was all peaceful. Looking at him made Howard smile, it always did.

He loved Vince. Loved him loved him loved him. Loved him in a way that at least five times a day he had to fight the urge to just say 'ArghIloveyou!' in the course of normal conversation.

Vince wouldn't feel the same. Probably. Ish. He was fairly sure he wouldn't. Quite fairly sure. It was… Sure, there were moments, times, when Vince would look at him, or say things, do stuff, that would make Howard wonder, but…

Vince was sweet. People who didn't know him thought he was self-involved, but every now and again he'd do things, just little gestures, but they meant so much to Howard. The painting of Coltrane Vince had done him hung proudly beside his bed, and every night the signature on it was bid a good night, and told that he loved it.

He nudged Vince's shoulder. 'Wake up little man. Time for bed.'

He couldn't bring himself to tell Vince in person. It was one thing loving him, being with him, smiling when he thought of him, dreaming that maybe if he was lucky there might be a tiny chance he might feel the same, but… to actually tell him… Vince would be sweet about it, and tactful, there was no doubt about that. But Howard didn't know that he'd be able to handle knowing that Vince definitely didn't love him like that, not yet. At the moment he just enjoyed loving him. Dreaming.

'Mm? Oh, Howard… bed…' Vince stumbled away to his bedroom.

No. To Vince, Howard was just his friend. Probably. ……….yeah, probably. He just felt grateful to Howard for the stuff he did for him, getting him out of scrapes, reassuring him when someone at a party said that baldness was coming back in, comforted him when Ronnie the racoon got ill from some bad hummus. Things that Howard didn't even think twice about, because he loved him. As far as Vince was concerned they were just friends, he wouldn't be interested in him. Vince was Vince, gorgeous, talented Vince, and Howard was just…. Just Howard.

Vince poked his head around the door. 'Night Howard.'

'Night Vince.' _I love you._

Maybe one day Howard would tell him. But not now. For now at least, there was still hope.

**Please review!**


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